Congressman Mark Takano, Co-chair of the Congressional Maker Caucus (far right), and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer enjoy the Museum of Science, Boston’s “Soaring Satellites,” a hands-on engineering activity. Photo by Earl Zubkoff.
Can the Maker Movement reinvigorate American manufacturing? Mark Takano thinks so. A Democratic Congressman representing California’s 41st district, Takano will deliver the September 16 keynote “How the Maker Movement Can Drive the Economy” to begin the Fall Maker Workshop from School Library Journal and Library Journal.
Takano, a third-generation Japanese American, has uniquely served Riverside County both as a Congressman and a classroom teacher. Now in his second term in Congress, he currently serves on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the Education and Workforce Committee, and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
A graduate of Harvard University, Takano earned a MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Riverside, and taught literature in public school for 23 years before entering politics.
In 2012, Takano became the first openly gay person of color to be elected to Congress.
In February 2014, Takano joined Representatives Steve Stivers (R-OH), Tim Ryan (D-OH), and Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) to found the Congressional Maker Caucus, a bipartisan effort to support America’s growing “maker” economy, including the use of new technologies such as 3-D printing.
In his post “The Maker Movement Is About the Economy, Stupid” on Medium, Takano wrote “As the Maker Movement continues to spread, becoming an important part of American business and academia, it is drafting a blue print for rebuilding our manufacturing base and creating a sustainable new sector in our economy.”
Also presenting at the Maker Workshop on September 16, IMLS (the Institute of Museum and Library Services) will provide a preview of its upcoming framework for learning in library and museum maker spaces. Tim Carrigan, IMLS Senior Library Program Officer, will speak, along with Peter Wardrip, a Learning Scientist at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, which is developing a sustainable model to integrate making into schools.